1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a new and improved device for the controlled delay of blowback in high-powered, semi-automatic and/or fully automatic (hereinafter more simply "automatic") weapons, which is particularly though not exclusively adapted for use in high-powered automatic pistols.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Although high-powered automatic pistols are, of course, well known in the prior art, it may be understood that the high pressures, and accordingly recoil forces, generated attendant the firing thereof have heretofore generally rendered impractical the operation thereof with delayed blowback actions, and have required instead relatively complex actions in the nature of the locked breech, short recoil operated action utilized, for example, in the 0.45 calibre Colt Govt. Model 1911A1 automatic pistol wherein a moveable barrel pivotally supported by a "Browning" link for rearward and downward barrel movement is required to assist in the absorbance of the substantial recoil forces generated attendant firing. The significant disadvantages of this type of action include: high cost of manufacture due to complexity of the action which requires an excessive number of parts; less than optimal accuracy due to variations in point of aim attendant necessary barrel looseness; less than optimal strength due to the fact that the barrel is not fastened to the receiver; relatively high maintenance requirements due to wear of moving parts; less than optimal reliability of cartridge feeding action due to relatively long distance between barrel breech and magazine and greater possibility of barrel breech-magazine misalignment; and less than optimal reliability of spent cartridge ejection action due to greater possibility of barrel breech-slide misalignment. Another example of a relatively complex, expensive, and not optimally accurate or reliable type of locked breech, short recoil operated action is that found in the toggle-joint breech Luger pistol. Too, although a few high-powered automatic pistols are known, as for example the MAB P.15 Standard and the old Steyer-Hahn, which incorporate delayed blowback types of actions, the same will also be seen to be of relatively complex, expensive and not optimally accurate or reliable construction in again requiring a moveably mounted barrel which rotates upon firing for purposes of unlocking barrel locking lugs from a slide locking shoulder.
With regard to high-powered automatic rifles and the like, the vast majority of which, of course, utilize gas-operated long or short recoil mechanisms, it is believed that the not insubstantial complexity, expense and high-maintenance requirements of those mechanisms are too well known to those skilled in this art to warrant elaborate discussion herein.
In addition to the above, no high-powered automatic weapon is, in any event, believed known wherein adjustement in the degree of blowback delay, as to accomodate differently powered cartidges or "fine tune" the weapon action, may be readily and accurately effected without requiring internal disassembly of the weapon.